


Amidst Falling Snows

by Takk



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21904390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takk/pseuds/Takk
Summary: Haurchefant Greystone dotes on the esteemed Warrior of Light after they successfully complete the FATE The Eyes Have it in the Coerthas Central Highlands. Pre-2.5 in A Realm Reborn.
Relationships: Haurchefant Greystone/Warrior of Light
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	Amidst Falling Snows

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silly_bone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silly_bone/gifts).



“Well, well. I hadn’t expected to hear of you besting a cyclopes and its entire legion of giant cohorts, my friend!” Haurchefant tapped his boots against the doorframe, knocking the snow from them before trodding heavily into the warm intercessory.  _ How long had it been? _ Fiddling with the dark clasps on his scabbard belt, Haurchefant gingerly placed the weapon down alongside a notched great axe and paused to shrug off his oilskin cloak before draping it over an empty chair.  _ Oh, I missed them. _ “And well, by the Twelve, I’m glad to see you’re back to us in one piece--albeit with a black eye.” 

Haurchefant frowned down at the sodden Warrior of Light, his brow furrowing into a darkened valley at the sight. Before the lord of Camp Dragonhead, the Warrior of Light was splayed out atop a chair that had been laden with blankets, furs, and dragged close to the fire. “And, you thought not to call on me, eh?” 

The Warrior had, to their credit, rode back the several jarring malms in the dark to Camp Dragonhead astride their chocobo, proclaimed their victory to a flabbergasted knight and promptly fell into a snowbank from sheer exhaustion as they attempted a dismount. The bloody chocobo, true to its nature, sat next to its rider with a whistling ‘kweh’ and idly preened their hair while the knight ran off for help.

“I.. had decided against alerting the watch at Dragonhead, lest there be a panic. Whitebrim’d already sounded the alarum,” the Warrior protested, their voice muffled by the karakul fur-trimmed blanket that Haurchefant had swaddled them in as they were helped to the intercessory by several of the knights. Their protests were, to Haurchefant’s credit, minimal. “With so many on the field, we thought we’d, ah, had it in the bag?” The Warrior wriggled to free themselves from the blanket before fixing their companion with a placating grin and arms held upward, dark curls plastered to their brow.  _ By Halone, they were so damned endearing, _ Haurchefant admitted to himself.  _ I can't be cross with them. _

“Of course, of course. And the roc that was harrying our runners between Dragonhead and Whitebrim? The wolf packs hounding our hunters? The unnatural storms brought about by the Ixal?” Haurchefant clucked like a mother hen, taking up the fireplace’s iron-wrought poker and idly stabbed into the embers before flashing a roguish smile to the Warrior of Light. They visibly deflated, one eye casting downwards while the other seemed to bear the brunt of their shame in its swollen glory. “I shan’t continue to harp upon you my dear friend, but I cannot help but worry when you continue to bear so much upon your shoulders.”

“I don’t wish the people of Coerthas to suffer anymore than they already have. I.. I like this place, Haurchefant. I care for the folk here.” The Warrior wavered, their gaze flickering to the guttering hearthlight. “I don’t wish to see them come to any further harm and it’s well within my strength to make it right.”

“Aye, and we care for you. You needn’t bear this burden alone. I am not some untested foundling, my friend,” Haurchefant shook his head with a sigh and threw a piece of kindling onto the fire, a veil of glowing embers flooding the hearth. “Well, let it be known that Haurchefant of House Fortemps is at least a gracious host. I’ll have some karakul stew and mulled wine for you shortly here from the camp’s kitchens.”

“You needn’t--”

“Ah, but I must! It’s a fine meal from Ishgard itself!” Haurchefant set the poker aside with a good natured chuckle, bracing himself upon the mantle as he stood from his stooped position. “Truthfully, I’m just glad to see you back here with merely a swollen eye and, ah, injured pride. Gives you character, my friend. Of course, it’s been nearly eight suns since I last saw that smile of yours and I wanted to--” The door to the intercessory creaked inward with a hurried knock, Haurchefant turning to regard it as Corentiaux entered with Yaelle closely behind. The two elezen, arms laden with several bowls, two glasses, a decanter, and two bottles of a ruddy wine that sloshed audibly as they approached, offered short bows of their heads to their lord before depositing the bounty before them.

“If you need anything else, Lord Haurchefant, please do not hesitate to call upon either of us,” Corentiaux offered with a smile and incline of his head. “And, thank you, Warrior of Light. We are indebted to you once more and I hope we can repay your bravery.” Yaelle gave a short incline of her head behind Corentiaux, echoing the older elezen. 

The Warrior sat quickly upright in their chair as if suddenly remembering their place with a sudden inhale through their nose, head inclining sharply to Corentiaux. “Thank you, ser, and madam. The hospitality of House Fortemps is.. unmatched! I will not forget your kindness.” Corentiaux offered another incline of his head and disappeared back through the door with heavy footfalls, Yaelle departing before him and out into the cold night air of the highlands.

“This is really an excellent stew,” Haurchefant began as the door creaked shut, his voice light as he uncovered the piping hot bowls and revealed a batard of dark bread for the two of them to share. “Mutton is one of my few indulgences here, but I’m very fond of it and father would be furious if he thought I was subsisting on nothing but the dried meats in our cellars. You.. are hungry, aren’t you?”

“Oh, of course,” the Warrior agreed, pulling upward to the table with a grimace as the legs of the chair protested against the stonework before settling back into the swathe of furs. “I haven’t eaten in almost a sun other than some jerked beef.”

“Jerked beef? From where? You certainly were busier than I’d originally thought.” The elezen man mused, taking up the decanter and idly swirling the ruddy liquid within. “I believe this has breathed enough and it’s quite warm still from mulling.” Haurchefant chuckled at himself before delicately filling their glasses to the brim with the still steaming wine.

“Ah,” The Warrior of Light paused, a look of confusion flickering across their features before they cleared their throat. “I believe Mor Dhona? I traded it for some herbs I’d gathered for the Crystal Braves’ latest venture into Thanalan. You’ve never had it? I think it’s from Lima Lominsa. Originally?” The Warrior slowly responded, running a hand across their head and loosening the sodden, dark curls that clung to their brow.

“I can’t say I’ve partaken of La Noscean cuisine often, but I imagine this jerked beef isn’t very different from the dried meats of the cellar. I daresay that this will be much more satisfying,” Haurchefant mused, offering a dark wine glass to his companion with an eager smile. “Now, a toast to your health!”

There was a pause, and then the Warrior dipped their head; their glass was still raised in a weathered hand and a faint blush spread quickly across their cheeks before regarding Haurchefant with an earnest smile. “Thank you, Haurchefant.”

“Ah, and there’s that smile!” Haurchefant laughed, clinking his glass against the Warrior’s and took an appreciative sip. “Mm, that’s quite a nice wine, but yes, it’s one of your best features!”

“Oh? ‘One of’, you say? What are my other ‘best features’, Lord Haurchefant?” The Warrior took a small sip from their glass and smiled, warmth spreading visibly through their body as they shrugged off the swaddling blanket. They leaned forward, elbows resting atop the dark wood of the table and looked up to the man with a hand crooked beneath their jaw. A good-natured smile was still affixed on their face, teeth shining in the dancing light of the hearth. It was rare for the Warrior of Light to be so at ease with him, but  _ maybe  _ the cyclopes had bashed them over the head harder than he thought _.  _ Haurchefant pursed his lips in thought, his gaze growing distant as he wordlessly passed the wooden bowl of stew across the table. _ Maybe  _ they were growing to actually like him. Corentiaux had called him an incorrigible flirt after he first met the Warrior of Light, but they  _ seemed _ to largely ignore the comments.

He was broken from his reverie as the Warrior of Light cleared their throat, gesturing grandly to themself. “Well? My features?”

“Mmm. Fishing for compliments now are we?” Haurchefant offered a roguish wink, before erupting in merry laughter as the Warrior’s jaw dropped in feigned horror. The elezen sat down across from the Warrior, laughter still quaking his lithe form as he bridged his hands and smiled cheekily at his charge.

“Ser, I’m wounded,” the Warrior swept a hand across their brow, brushing the dark curls from their face as they tilted their head back with a cry. “In more ways than one! First, the voidsent, now you aim for my heart! I thought you cared for me!”

“Oh, Twelve forfend. You know I care for you,” Haurchefant groused, a blush touching his own cheeks as the Warrior looked up in earnest at him. He took up the dark bread and ripped it in half with a grunt, proffering the other end with a faint smile to the Warrior. “Let’s enjoy this night; good food, good drink, and the best company of Eorzea, eh?”

The Warrior took their half of the loaf as they straightened back in their chair, a smile working once more across their weathered features. “You complement me too damned much. Let’s, yes. I’m.. I need to rest. For once. Thank you.” They took up their wine glass again and took another, long appreciative swig.  _ No reason now for putting on airs about properness _ , Haurchefant thought. “This is uh, this is pretty good wine, you know? I can’t say I understand much about vintages, but ‘warms me from the inside out’ makes me pretty certain it’s good.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I can’t say I know much about vintages either,” Haurchefant dipped a piece of his bread into the stew, juices soaking into the dry bread and raised it to his mouth before pausing to glance up to see the Warrior begin to dig into their own bowl with gusto. Haurchefant opened his mouth, wishing to fill the silence between them, and thought better of it. No, better to rest and just enjoy the company. A log settled in the fireplace and Haurchefant smiled to himself, taking a bite of the gravy sodden bread.

********

“So, then the cyclopes throws the Lalafell at me, I dodge, and she’s a yalm down into the snow! All I saw were her boots sticking out!  _ Boots _ ! Little..purple boots. Oh, bloody hells. You.. you don’t think she died, do you?” The Warrior of Light hugged an empty bottle to their chest, cheeks flushed with the heat of the drink they’d downed as concern creeped into their voice.

“Were the boots still  _ on _ her?”

“Yes, believe so.”

“She’s not dead.” Haurchefant murmured, nodding to himself. “If her boots were flung clean off her, she’d be stone dead.”

The Warrior exhaled, body slumping forward onto the table. “I am glad you’re here, Haurchefant,” they grumbled beneath their breath, eyeing the bottom of the bottle with their good eye. “I think I needed a good night like this. You’re a good friend. Good man. Good elezen.”

“You should probably get some rest, my friend.” Haurchefant chuckled, leaning forward to eye the Warrior as they sprawled out over the table again, fingers drumming on the wood.

“I should,” the Warrior agreed, nodding and began to stand. “I want to do one more thing, though.”

“Oh?” Haurchefant began to stand as well, bracing his hands on the table as he began to push himself up from his seat. “Wha-”

With a strength that belied their state of drunkenness, the Warrior seized Haurchefant by his shoulders and pulled him bodily across the table, foreheads woefully dashing against each other as the Warrior of Light failed miserably at attempting to kiss the elezen man.

Haurchefant bellowed in a mixture of shock and pain, hands going to his head as the Warrior of Light fell back into their chair with a yelp of surprise and clasped their own head. “Oh, bloody.. I didn’t mean to do that! It was supposed to be better! Ohhh, gods! Fuckin’ hells!”

“Damned.. what is your skull made of?!” Haurchefant groaned, sitting back down heavily into his chair.

“I.. ohh, Haurchefant,” The Warrior of Light moaned in horror, good eye opening to fix him with a look of pure inebriated sorrow between their web of fingers and an exaggerated pout. “I wanted to kiss you.”

“I thought you were trying to kill me,” Haurchefant nursed his forehead, rubbing the goose egg that was already forming with a wince and hiss of pain. “Let’s share a kiss when you’re not into well your cups, eh?”

“Please don’t tell anyone,” they pleaded, hands knitting together in prayer as they thumped their head to the table. “Oh, please pl--”

“Stop that, damn you. I won’t tell anyone you have a skull like an ox nor that you rammed me like one,” Haurchefant waved his free hand dismissively and tilted his head back, the stars slowly dissipating from his vision. “I’m going to go get some sleep and you can get some sleep too. It’s almost morning and I’m in scarce a mood to listen to Corentiaux scold me like I’m a young lad again.”

The Warrior of Light nodded in dour agreement, head bobbing as Haurchefant stood once more, pushing in his chair and began to collect his things before the Warrior, with a pronounced sway, stood to meet him. Haurchefant sighed, the pleasantness of the wine assuaging his injured pride and he gently guided the Warrior back to their chair. “Let’s rest, friend. I’ll see you in a few bells, yes?”

“Yes, I’m.. I’m sorry, Haurchefant. I really am fond of you,” they agreed, voice oddly solemn. “I am.”

“I know and I’m fond of you. We’ll see each other soon,” Haurchefant reassured, voice soft as they began to swaddle them once more in the myriad furs that festooned their chair. “I shan’t be far.”

The Warrior looked up, eyes softening as they snuggled back down into the blankets again, seemingly unable to deny the exhaustion that still pricked at their body. “All right. I’m sorry for getting drunk.”

“Did you have a good time?”

“‘course I did. No one has ever--”

“That’s all that matters and you needn’t apologize. Now, rest,” Haurchefant soothed, smoothing their hair out as one would a child. “We’ll share that kiss later.”

“Later?”

“Later.”

“Mm, I’ll hold you to that,” the Warrior murmured, turning their head to regard the dying embers of the fire. “I will.”

Haurchefant turned, trodding heavily towards the door before stooping to fetch his scabbard and cloak, draping it over his shoulders. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder, Haurchefant glimpsed the Warrior of Light sitting (limbs splayed haphazardly out of the perhaps the too-small-chair) beneath a swathe of blankets, their head tilted towards the fire as they rested. 

A well-deserved rest.

**Author's Note:**

> As part of a Secret Santa exchange for the wonderful silly_bone and my first foray into writing Final Fantasy XIV fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it!


End file.
